Carlos Tevez: Is the Manchester City Striker Worth £100 Million?

Carlos Tevez has become a fan favourite at Eastland’s but even the adoration of the fans doesn’t seem to be enough to prevent the Argentine from wanting to leave.

A recent article published in the Daily Mirror claims that it may however cost a suitor £100 million to prize him away from the Citizens squad.

It is a far cry from the optimism that surrounded his arrival at Manchester City two years ago, where Tevez was greeted by the love and respect that he so desperately craved at Manchester United.

The infamous “Welcome to Manchester sign” now seems a distant memory to all involved in the saga, despite Manchester City’s recent FA Cup triumph.

The harmonious relationship has broken down throughout the season with a BBC article citing that his relationship with “certain executives” has become “broken beyond repair.” The striker has also suffered from homesickness and made public his hatred of life in England.

In a recent interview on Argentinian TV that striker stated that he “will never return to Manchester, not even on holiday.” He added that “the city has nothing.”

Tevez has built up an extensive history of complaining. His whining has never been far from the media which cannot have a good impact on the Manchester City dressing room. It is his responsibility to keep team morale high by being a strong leader yet he has done the complete opposite.

It doesn’t look good for a club captain to constantly be stating his desire to move away from the club.

If another club outside of Argentina was to sign Tevez they too would risk falling victim to his incoherent temper tantrums. One minute he is homesick, the next he wants to move to Europe, then he has a bust up with City’s backroom staff.

It’s as if the twenty seven year old doesn’t know what he wants from his career, he certainly seems unable to honour a contract.  

Who would be willing to pay a reported £100 million, plus wages in excess of £200, 000 a week for someone who seems unable to settle?

There is no doubt in Tevez’s footballing ability; there have been times this season when he has carried Manchester City. He has scored more Premier League goals than anyone else in the past two seasons and is an inspirational figure on the pitch. His tireless determination to win the ball and score is unmatched by anyone else in the Premier League.

If Tevez was to leave City his new club would be gaining one of the best footballer’s in the world, but, they would also be signing a proven track record of complaining. It would be a mistake to assume that a change of scenery is all Tevez needs to stop his grumpiness, unless he returns to his family and friends in Argentina.

Whoever signs him will also be signing all of his bad features, which could have a traumatic impact on a squad of players.  

A player whose behaviour may have a similar impact on a squad is Mario Balotelli. Many managers would turn their eye on Balotelli, despite his obvious talent. The feisty Italian has been shown time and time again to be a time tomb for erratic behaviour. Although Tevez’s complaining is not as erratic as Balotelli’s, it is equally as careless and, more importantly, equally as disruptive. Why would someone want to sign Carlos Tevez?

£100 million is a lot of money and it could easily be spent on a player who is deeply committed to a club. When Real Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a staggering £90 million they knew that they were making an investment that would not backfire on them. The former world player of the year had publicly stated his desire to play for Los Meringues and his performances combined with his commercial value justified such a lucrative price tag.

In Carlos Tevez it is likely that you will get a string of stellar performances, but is equally as likely he will at some point become disgruntled. Although there is some commercial value in his name it is not on the same scale as Ronaldo, Messi or even Wayne Rooney.

Indeed in 2009 Tevez failed to make the top 10 most popular replica shirt names in the Premier League, yet alone the world. A £100 million transfer would need more than just a consistent flurry of awe inspiring performances.

There needs to something in it for a club to help recuperate some of the money spent; signing Tevez could be a massive gamble.

Given the cost of Fernando Torres’ to Chelsea, Manchester City could reasonably argue that Tevez’s market value exceeds £50 million. Indeed if it was not for his liability to become unhappy his ability could justify a far higher sum in the lucrative transfer market, but, signing Tevez is not just signing a quality player.

He comes with baggage and is a gamble many managers may opt to shy away from.